This Kale and Quinoa Salad is a powerhouse salad, filled with nutrition and delicious ingredients. It contains a fruit, quinoa, parmesan cheese, pistachios and fibrous kale. The dressing is a creamy balsamic dressing the pairs beautifully with the flavors and ingredients of this salad.

KALE AND QUINOA SALAD

My favorite place to eat in the whole world is Zupas. Soup, salad, and sandwiches, what could be better?! Every time I go I order their Kale and Quinoa Salad. It is my favorite. It is a dark and moody salad that is so beautiful and tastes equally as delicious.

The Kale and Quinoa Salad from Zupas is what got me to like kale. I could not handle the texture of kale prior to trying it. This recipe is inspired by their recipe. Upon researching the best ways to prepare kale, I found the secret for preparing kale for salad. And surprisingly it is common knowledge and has completely changed my distaste for kale in salad.

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WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PREPARE AND SOFTEN KALE FOR SALADS?

Massage the kale. What?! Yes massage the kale. You put it in a bowl, drizzle some olive oil on it and sprinkle a little salt and start massaging it, about 3-5 minutes, until the kale softens. It is magic!

I also learned this tip from eating my Zupas salad. Slice the leaves into really thing pieces. Instead of chopping it up like you would lettuce, slice this into very thin pieces. This helps tremendously when preparing kale for salads.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF KALE?

Kale is a superfood and its easy to see why. Kale is loaded with:

fiber

vitamins

omega-3 fatty acid

a variety of other nutrients.

The dressing is one I already have up on my blog but I knew it would pair well with this salad and it did. This salad will now be apart of my weekly lunch plan. Its one of those salads you feel so good after eating.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

Author: Nikki

Recipe type: Salad

2½ cups Kale, thinly sliced

¼ cup cooked quinoa

½ cup blueberries

¼ cup Crasions

⅓ red grapes, sliced in half

¼ cup pistachios, chopped

garnish with fresh shaved parmesan

4 cloves garlic, grated

3 Tablespoons mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoons Morton’s Nature seasoning

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

Slice kale into super thing slices. Once you have it sliced up, put it into a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over it and sprinkle a little salt over it. Massage for 3-5 minutes to soften up kale.